2011 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting

Each year, MRS holds two international meetings, one in Boston in the fall and the other in San Francisco in the spring. The NISE Net participates in these meetings in a variety of ways, holding workshops, professional development sessions, outreach activities, and bringing new scientists into the network.

Special educational events at the Spring 2011 Materials Research Society meeting include: For general information regarding the meeting: • Click here

Science Education and Outreach Events: • Public Outreach Center Professional Development Opportunities: • Tutorial SS: Developing Materials Science Activities for Everyone Monday, April 25 1:30-5:00 pm Room 2009, Moscone West Convention Center The tutorial is designed to teach participants how to create and present materials science education activities. Paul Doherty and Dan Steinberg will demonstrate the meaning of “hands-on” and “inquiry-based” to show why they’re not just buzz words. Participants will work in small groups to develop or modify an activity and present it to the larger group. The instructors will help to establish clear goals for each activity and provide tips to achieve objectives that ensure the impact of the activity. Doherty will demonstrate materials science, nanoscience, and engineering activities in the first half of the tutorial. He will give tips on engaging audiences effectively. He will discuss how he has developed hundreds of successful activities at the Exploratorium and then guide the participants through the process of creating new activities that are relevant to their research. Steinberg will give a brief overview of the MRSEC education network, discussing successful strategies that have worked for MRSEC outreach events and presenting education activities that have been successful for MRSEC materials scientists and engineers. He will give tips on how research scientists and engineers can utilize their strengths for successful presentations to young audiences. The concluding segment will take participants through the creative process of developing a new activity, highlighting effective presentation techniques and tools to develop new activities. At the end of the session, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on the process, making it meaningful for their own education outreach broader impact efforts. Instructors: Dan Steinberg, Princeton University and Paul Doherty, Exploratorium